


The Unlucky Shot

by SonyB89



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 09:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonyB89/pseuds/SonyB89
Summary: On a sunny afternoon, something bad happens. Without a chance to transform, Marinette gets hit by a bullet in the shoulder and is sent to hospital. Waking up at the hospital, all she can think of is that she wants to talk to her friends - and to Chat Noir. (MariChat - Adrinette) NO CHARACTER DEATH





	1. The Unlucky Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Information: This fic was written while season 2 was being aired - BEFORE Adrien officially met Master Fu - so the story is set with the information shared with only season 1 in mind. I hope you still enjoy it :)

„Not that I'm complaining, Master Fu, but why are we meeting at a café today and not at your apartment?", Marinette asked as she took a sip from her cup of tea and enjoyed the warm sunlight that tickled her skin.

She was sitting at a corner café with her elderly friend and Master in the centre of Paris, as so many others on this fine and sunny Sunday afternoon did. The owners had put out the furniture for outside, as spring had finally conquered winter and it was time to sit outside and bask in the sun again.

Master Fu smiled.  
„What kind of a friend would I be if I wouldn't treat such a lovely young lady friend to an afternoon of sunshine and tea once in a while?   
Our duties can be paused sometimes, Marinette. Especially on a sunny day like this."

Marinette smiled, snatching a macaroon from a plate and secretly giving it to Tikki and Waizz, who where hiding under the table, sitting on her knees.   
They did not know it yet, but Marinette, Master Fu and their Kwamis didn't have much time to bask in the sun and enjoy the day for much longer.

Being Ladybug, Marinette knew how to fight Akumas by now. Transform, find the Akuma, capture it, set it free.

  
The problem was that in the real world, not all evil came with an Akuma.   
And not everyone who attacked someone else was evil.

So when she got shot through the left shoulder by a mentally ill woman with a gun, there had not been a time or an opportunity to transform.

The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Master Fu and his concerned expression.  
But while the blood was gushing from her shoulder, her eyes closed and she fell to the ground, she had the strangest pictures in her mind – one of Adrien – and one of Chat Noir.

* * *

When Marinette woke up, she felt the excruciating pain in her left shoulder.

It spread like a wildfire through her entire torso, shooting lightning bolts of adrenalin through her entire body.   
The first thing she saw when she woke up was the white and sterile ceiling of a hospital room and the moonlight that was brightening her room a little.

Before she could think she was alone in the room, she felt something moving against her hip, from under the covers, slowly emerging.

"Marinette! I was so worried!", Tikki whispered, tiny tears running down her face, as the Kwami snuggled against her neck.  
"T-Tikki… What happened?", Marinette said – or tried to say. Her throat was so dry…

Tikki, realising that it was hard for Marinette to move, flew into her field of visionand started to explain.  
"We were...well, you were sitting at this café in the city with Master Fu. And.. and suddenly there was this woman and she-… she pointed a gun at – well everyone.."

Slowly, the memories came back.  
There had been nothing particularly extraordinary about the woman passing them on the street.   
She had suddenly pulled out a gun from her bag, shouted at everyone, waved her weapon and Marinette, reacting on instinct, had stood up to act as a shield for Master Fu.

The movement must have scared the woman, because she had aimed – and fired.  
"I- I'm so sorry Marinette. I only had a second to react! My luck-magic saved you from getting a bullet through your heart and from dying… but you still got hurt. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Marinette clenched her teeth, forced her right hand to move and took Tikki in her palm to comfort her.  
"You saved my life, Tikki. There's no need to apologise.", she whispered.  
Finally, she took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulder. She looked around the room and realised she was alone.

"Is Master Fu okay? What happened after I passed out?", she asked, as soon as she felt that Tikki had calmed down a little.  
Marinette felt Tikki snuggling a little closer to her.

"Waizz happened. ", she mumbled.  
"He released a huge amount of magic, a ginourmos shield spell to protect everyone. The woman got knocked out by the force of his rage."

  
"His rage?", she asked  
Marinette felt Tikki smile.   
"He gets really angry when someone gets hurt and he can't protect them. So when he saw that you got shot to protect his Master, well… He lost it a bit."

Sighing, Marinette closed her eyes again. The pain was still pulsing through her body, but it was dulling down a little with every throb of her heart.   
Pain medication, probably.   
"The woman is in custody and will get help for her mental disease. The police didn't take long to come and arrest her. Nobody knew why she did it. But sometimes, bad things happen randomly."  
All Marinette could do was agree.   
As her mind began to wander, she thought about what her mind had shown her before she lost had consciousness. She had seen Alya, Adrien, Nino, her parents – and Chat. All of a sudden, another burst of warmth filled her body, but it did not come from pain, but from thinking about Chat.

"Do my parents know where I am?"  
"They came as soon as they heard and stayed when you were in surgery. They were sent home. It's three in the morning, but surely they're not sleeping… But if you press the button for the nurse they'll get called over right away."  
"And Master Fu?"  
"He has to take care of Waizz. And himself. The burst of magic both knocked them out."

There was nothing more to be said. Marinette was tired, her whole body hurt, but she wanted to see her parents.  
With all the strenght she could muster, she reached out with her right hand and pressed the button to summon the nurse.

* * *

Alya didn't know why, but when Miss Bustier came into the classroom on Monday morning and Marinette was late, she knew that something was wrong.  
Her best friend being late for school was nothing new – it happened a lot, she was used to it.  
But something on this particular Monday morning and the frown on her teachers face made her worry.

"Good morning, class.", Miss Bustier said and put her things onto her desk before turning to everyone with a stern face.  
"I'm afraid I have some bad news, so please listen carefully."

The chatter in the class immediately stopped and all attention was focused on the young woman in the front.  
"I am sure you have all heard about the horrible shooting incident yesterday afternoon. A mentally ill woman pulled a gun and fired it at innocent bystanders."  
The class was silent still, but suddenly, a rush of adrenalin shot through Alyas body. Surely Miss Bustier didn't mean…

"All teachers have been called to the principals office today. I'm sorry to have to say this, but the young girl that was shot was our lovely Marinette."

The outburst was instant and everyone reacted in their own ways.   
But Alya didn't realise how – she just knew that it was loud as she stood up and clenched her fists, fighting off tears.  
  
Miss Bustier called for silence.  
  
"I have just spoken to Marinettes mother on the phone.", she shouted.   
"The bullet apparently went straight through Marinettes shoulder and her life is not in danger. She will be fine. However, she will have to stay in the hospital for a while."

Alya fell back down onto the bench and could feel Nino wrapping his arms around her.   
Apparently he had stood up from his seat in front of her and set beside her the moment he had heard.  
Miss Bustier coughed.

"Marinettes mother wanted me to know that Marinette is well enough to receive visitors, but she wishes that you don't come all at once. Also, since you are her closest classmates, the Principal will send you all home for today, since a normal schoolday will not be possible.   
I also have to assure you that the woman who did this is in police custody and can not hurt anyone anymore."

Alya didn't hear anything.   
All she thought about was Marinette and how she would go straight to the hospital and not stop at home.   
And that she would bring Nino and Adrien.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

_The young girl that was shot was our lovely Marinette._

Adrien could feel Nino stand up beside him to console his girlfriend, while he just sat there, frozen, unable to think or act.

Somehow he could feel Plagg, his magic buzzing, inside his backpack, reacting to the chaos in his head.

He heard that she was going to be alright, that she would be staying at the hospital and that they were allowed to visit.  
But every other second his mind focused on Miss Bustiers sentence from before.

_The young girl who was shot was our lovely Marinette._

As class was dismissed by the principals orders, he grabbed his bag and clenched his fists, turning to Nino and Alya.

  
"I'll call my driver, let's go."

  
No further words were needed between the three friends.

* * *

"Sabine!"

Adrien saw as Alya practically charged at Marinettes mother to hug her, as soon as they saw her in the hospital hallway.

Marinettes mother embraced Alya in a hug, whispering comforting words into her ear.   
Adrien could see that the petite chinese woman had been crying all night. She looked exhausted.

"Nino, Adrien...", she finally said. "It's so nice of you to stop by right away."  
  
"I know it's a stupid question," Nino said, "but are you okay? Can we do anything to help?"  
  
Sabine smiled, letting herself fall down onto a very uncomfortable hospital chair.  
  
"I'm doing fine, considering that my daughter has been shot", she said. "I think you being here is the best help that we can get."  
  
"Can we go and see her?", Adrien finally asked, but he was interrupted by Marinettes father who came out of his daughters room.

"Oh, Alya. Boys. How nice to see you, thank you for coming."  
  
Adrien had met Marinettes father on a number of occasions now.   
He was a compassionate and passionate man, a teddy bear with a heart of gold.   
But now, as his only child was recovering from a gunshot, he looked so old, so torn.

Adrien didn't stop himself as he felt the urge to hug the big man.   
The embrace was shared between the two, no words were needed.

  
"Is she awake?", Alya asked.

  
Tom almost laughed.   
"She's awake alright. She's my tough little cookie. She practically ordered me and Sabine to go home now and take care of the bakery."  
  
Nino laughed. "She is sending you home?"  
"Yes. And to make sure that I go and work, she ordered her favourite cake."

He sighed, took his wives hand and shook his head.  
  
"I really don't want to leave her alone, but if her friends are here now, I'll respect her wishes."  
  
"Just make sure that she gets her rest, okay?", Sabine asked, squeezing her husbands hand.  
"And don't stay too long, your parents will worry as well."  
  
"If you need any help at all, you call us, okay?", Nino offered and the three of them watched them leave for the elevator.

As soon as Marinettes parents were out of sight, Alya opened the door to Marinettes room and entered.  
"Marinette!"  
  
As Adrien and Nino came in behind her, they already saw the girls hugging- well as well as the black haired girl could manage.  
  
Marinette was sitting upright in her hospital bed, but she looked pale – paler than usual.

She was wearing a tank top, probably so that the nurses could change her bandages easier.

Adrien could see that they had wrapped her torso and shoulder tightly in the white cotton, keeping pressure to the wound that they could not see.   
Her left arm was resting in a sling.

As Alya gripped her best friend tighter, Marinette whined.  
  
"Alya… You'll rip my stitches...", she said.  
  
As her best friend backed away, she seemed to realise that Alya had not come to visit alone.

"Nino, Adrien… Thanks for coming."  
  
Adriens heart almost broke at the sight of her exhausted but honest smile.  
  
Only yesterday his princess had been shot, without him even noticing, and already she was smiling again, being happy to see them.

"How are you feeling?", Nino asked and gently put a kiss on Marinettes forehead before he sat down at her bed.

Adrien blinked, confused, before he remembered that the two of them were childhood friends – and that the guy was madly in love with Alya.

Still, a pang of jealousy had run through his veins.

"Not so good.", Marinette answered with honesty. "I can tell you, getting shot at hurts. A _lot_..."

  
Alya was crying and her words made no sense, while Nino kept on joking.

  
And Adrien just stood there, saying nothing, looking at Marinette and suddenly felt guilty.

She knew her as his classmate – and he knew her as Chat Noir.   
And none of his personas has been able to protect her. She could have _died_. And he had done nothing.

"Adrien?"

Nino, Alya and Marinette were staring at him, apparently waiting for an answer.

  
"Sorry, I spaced out."

  
Alya sighed. "Marinette said she has something she wants our help with."

  
Adrien grabbed one of the chairs and finally sat down next to her bed.

"Anything."

Marinette took a deep breath and a serious expression came upon her face.

  
"I can't really tell you why, but I need your help on this. I need to get a message to Chat Noir."

* * *

In the early hours of tuesday night, Adrien was standing a few rooftops away from Marinette and her hospital room.

He had been on the verge of jumping, but then had decided to de-transform and think for a while.

"What are you waiting for?", Plagg asked, flying around the blondes head, confused.  
"Why do you think she wants to see me? Well, not me, but Chat.", he asked, sitting down on the cold tiles of the rooftop.

They had spent two more hours at Marinettes hospital bed that day, until Alya had decided to post a short video on her Ladyblog, explaining that Marinette would love a visit from her favourite superhero.

They had decided that it was too dangerous to just tell the whole world that she had a message.   
Hawkmoth could have decided to take advantage of the situation and release an akuma, if he had thought it was important.   
Saying that Marinette was a fan had been better.

"Chat is a good friend of hers by now.", Plagg answered.

"She said she was worried that he wouldn't know where she is, the next time we knock on her roof door. She probably wants to tell you what happened herself."

Adrien shrugged.  
"I don't know. Something feels off. It feels like she wanted to tell me something important."

  
Plagg bumped against his forehead, hard, and growled.  
"Then let's find out already!"

  
"You're right."

It only took a minute to transform, find Marinettes window and crawl inside.   
He couldn't help to be silent, it was one in the morning, but he found Marinette sitting on her bed, reading.

As he closed the window, she turned her head and smiled, exhausted.  
  
"Chat Noir. You came."  
  
He stepped over, took Marinettes uninjured hand and brought it to his lips.  
  
"I will travel anywhere you want me to, Princess. You called and I came."

He wasn't sure if there was really a blush covering her cheeks, or if she had just regained some of her colour.  
  
"I heard what happened to you. And that you were very brave, saving an old mans life."  
  
He sat down on the mattress, close to her hip. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

Marinette shook her head.

  
"You can't protect Paris all the time, Chat. This had nothing to do with an Akuma attack."

  
"Still, I'm sorry."

  
"Silly cat..."

Before the silence between them could get too uncomfortable, Adrien coughed and picked up the string of conversation.

  
"So, you just wanted to see me? Is there anything I can do to cheer up my princess?"

  
Marinettes blush suddenly deepened and she averted her eyes, making Adriens eyebrows crawl upwards in wonder.

"I-I wanted to talk to you about something. It's a bit embarrassing, but I hope you'll hear me out."

  
Scooping up his legs and hopping a bit closer on the mattress, Adrien nodded.

  
"Of course. We're friends, you can tell me anything."

At first Marinette tried to start her sentences over and over, but after a while, she took a deep breath and reached for one of his hands. She squeezed.

  
"Do you know the myth, that when you're about to die, everything and everyone that's important to you will flash before your eyes? Well, I had that experience when the bullet hit me."

Adrien squeezed back, not knowing what else to say.   
The tail of his costume twinged, as if reacting like the tail of a real cat. He didn't interrupt.

  
"I saw my parents, Alya, Nino – a lot of happy memories. And..."

  
"And?"  
  
Marinette shook her head, a little bit too hard as she suddenly whinced, letting go of his hand and touching it tenderly to her wounded shoulder.

"Are you okay? Did you rip your stitches open?", he asked concerned, but she just shook her head again, slower this time.

  
"No, I'm okay. The wound is still tender, that's all."

Adrien leaned back, his leather ears twitching with concern.

  
"I-I also saw you. That's why I wanted to see you. I've never told you how happy I am that we've become friends.", she finally said, suddenly flashing him one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen on her face.

Before he could react, she was coming at him with another surprise.

"There's this boy in my class that I have had a crush on since the moment I met him.", she told him.

"But I've never told him. He even came to visit me today, and I still didn't have the courage to tell him, even though I almost died yesterday."

Adrien had to claw himself into the matress in order not to fall off the bed.

  
Marinette had someone that she liked! Of course she had. And it was someone from their class as well!

When Alya, Nino and he himself had left, others from their class had been waiting already to see her.   
Who could she, beautiful and lovely Marinette, have given her heart to?

"S-So? He'll probably visit again, you can tell him then.", he stuttered, trying to compose himself.  
  
"I could tell him, yes.", she said. "Adrien Agreste, I've had a crush on you for almost two years now. How does that sound?", she chuckled.

This time, he really fell off the mattress.  
Marinette was in love with him. _Marinette_ was in love with _him_.

"Chat! Are you okay?"  
  
"Y-you like that model guy? Seriously? You could do better than him, princess.", he laughed, trying to get a grip on his emotions.  
His heart suddenly pounded a thousand times faster than it normally did.

Her eyes suddenly shined brigther, and suddenly he saw Marinette, beautiful and shy Marinette, in a complete new light.   
  
But he had to focus. He was here as Chat. He couldn't just… well he couldn't do anything really. Too much information.  
  
He sat back on the mattress, this time with Marinette scooping a little closer to him.

"No, I couldn't.", she said. "He's nice, compassionate, lovely - there are so many reasons why I like him… But I didn't call you here to talk about Adrien. I came to talk about my dilemma."

"D-Dilemma?", he stuttered, suddenly not knowing where to look but into her bluebell eyes.  
  
"As I said, I didn't only see my friends, Adrien and my family when I got shot. I also saw you."  
  
Marinette still scooped closer, and suddenly her right hand hooked itself behind his neck.

"And when I thought about you… I got a really warm feeling in my chest. And not just because a bullet ripped through me. We're friends, and still.. I thought..."

Another deep breath followed, before the petite and lovely girl before him came at him with a death blow.  
  
"And while I'm not brave enough to tell Adrien that I've liked him for a long time, I'm brave enough to steal a kiss from an alleycat."

And suddenly, she pulled him down for a kiss, without knowing about the bomb of chaos she had just set up in Adriens heart.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette had kissed him.

„Adrien..."

_Marinette_ had kissed him.

„Adrien?"

_Marinette had kissed him!_

„Oi! Earth to Supermodel!"

Adrien was pulled out of his memories of last night by Nino, who had grabbed him by the shoulder. When had class ended?  
It was lunchbreak already, but he had not been able to concentrate for the whole morning.

"You okay, mate?", Nino asked, watching his best friend with a look of concern.

"Yeah...", he sighed. "Just… thinking about Marinette." _And that she kissed me a few hours ago! God damnit! _

"Don't worry, you saw her yesterday. She's a tough cookie, she'll get trough this and be back on her feet in no time.", Nino said with confidence, unaware of Adriens or/and Chat Noirs predicament.

Marinette had, without knowing it, confessed that she had a crush on him. He felt guilty about that.  
Marinette had not known who she had told her secret too – how could she had known that it was him?   
He felt like he now knew something that he was no supposed to know.

And, to make things more difficult, she had kissed him. But she had not kissed Adrien, she had kissed Chat Noir.   
Because she had had a _warm feeling in her chest_. Whatever that meant.   
And the even bigger problem was - he had enjoyed it.   
He groaned.

Alya clicked into the conversation.  
"Seriously, Adrien, you look like you're totally out of it. I'm concerned too. Did something happen between you two?", she asked, but he shook his head violently.  
  
"Nope. Nothing. Nothing at all."

He felt his two friends exchanging looks, but fortunately for him they let him be.

Packing his bag and bidding his friends goodbye, he walked to his car.   
There were no afternoon classes today, so they had arranged to meet later at the hospital.

And he was nervous – because yesterdays conversation _after_ the kiss was still in his head.

* * *

_At the first touch of her lips to his, a feeling of electricity ran through his entire body.   
While she closed her eyes to enjoy their touch, his widened in surprise. _

_After a few moments, it was over. And he immediately missed the feeling of the soft texture of her lips against his.  
_

_Marinette released him from her grip, leaned back and sighed. _

_What had almost killed him was the sight of her. She bit her lip and gave him a cheeky grin before an embarrassed smile and a blush decorated her face and she returned to her shy self.  
_"_S-Sorry. I didn't think that through...", she mumbled. _

Snap out of it, Adrien_, he suddenly heard Plaggs voice, vibrating through his very suit directly into his brain._

"_No need to apologise, Princess. Who wouldn't be happy to receive a kiss by such a beautiful girl?", he managed to stutter, still trying to control his raging heartbeat.  
_"_But what about your… what's his name… Adrien?"_

_As if sitting on hot coals, he waited for the girl who had just kissed him to answer.  
Exhausted, she leaned back against her pillows._

"_I'm way too scared to tell him. I don't want to mess up our friendship.", she said, closing her eyes. "Besides, I don't think I'm good enough for him. He deserves someone who is as amazing as he is."  
_"_That's not true at all!", he shouted._

_His leather ears and tail twitched and he wanted to tell Marinette how special, how amazing, how great she was – but his raised voice had alerted a nurse._

_Before the nurse could spot him, he was forced to leave – without telling the girl anything._

* * *

The blonde was far away with his thoughts, so far in fact that he did not really appreaciate the rare occasion of his father joining him for lunch.

"Adrien, is something the matter?", Gabriel Agreste asked as he saw his son picking at his food instead of eating it.

Adrien sighed, and looked up from his plate.

"Did you hear about the shooting in the city on sunday, father?"

Agreste nodded.

"Well, my classmate Marinette was the girl that got shot. I'm really worried about her. We went to visit her yesterday and apparently she will be fine – but I could have lost her. I could have lost my friend."

At first, Gabriel Agrest said nothing. Then, he called for his assistant, Nathalie.  
"Nathalie. Please see to it that a bouquet of flowers is sent to Miss Dupain-Cheng. I know her as a good friend of my son, it is the least I can do to send my wishes for her swift recovery."

Adrien watched an awe as his father took an interest in his friends health.

"Of course, Mr. Agreste. Anything else?"

"My son has been doing very well in his fencing and chinese classes as of late. I do think we can cancel those for a while, at least until his friend has recovered. There is no point in him studying when he is so worried."

Those words made Adrien wonder even more if his father maybe had a fever. But at the same time, he felt incredibly grateful.  
"Are you sure, father? This really means a lot to me."

The designer nodded.   
"She is your friend and something terrible has happened to her. I would be ashamed if my son would not take care of a friend in need."

  
Adrien stood up so quickly that his chair almost fell over, before embracing his father in a tight hug.  
"Thank you."

* * *

Adrien could hear the voices of visitors in Marinettes room as he entered the hospital hallway with a box of chocolates in his hands just an hour later.  
After knocking, he entered and was met by the smell of possibly hundreds of flowers, the sight of get-well cards, balloons and other presents.

Alya and Nino were already sitting by Marinettes side, while her parents sat on the other.  
"Hi everyone.", he said, but his greeting almost got stuck in his throat.

Seeing the black haired girl again immediately brought back last nights events – and the fact that Marinette had confessed that she was in love with him.  
With all the courage he could muster, he stepped over to her hospital bed and gave her the box of chocolates.

"Hey Marinette. How are you feeling today?"

The girl blushed, gratefully accepting the chocolates, but setting them aside.  
"I'm doing better. Thank you so much for coming. After visiting hours, the hospital is so incredibly boring."

A nurse knocked on the door.  
"Miss Dupain-Cheng? You received flowers from a man called Gabriel Agreste. Shall I bring them in?"

Marinette blinked in confusion but nodded. "Yes, please."  
"Your father sent me flowers? That's so nice."  
Adrien shrugged. "I told him what happened to you, and he said it's the least he could do, because you've been such a good friend to me."

"I'll go and grab a vase for those flowers.   
Tom, let's give Marinette and her friends some privacy, shall we?"  
As soon as the adults had left the room, Alya wanted to hear the scoop.

"So? Did you get a nightly visit yesterday? Did Chat Noir stop by?"

Marinette gulped.

"Y-Yep. He came by..."

"And?", Nino asked. "What happened?"

Marinette grabbed a pillow with her uninjured arm and squeezed it.  
"I did something stupid. I pulled a typical _Marinette_...", she mumbled.

"We've become friends over the last few months, and I wanted him to know that I was okay."

Adrien tried not to blush. He already knew what had happened.  
  
He forced himself to ask: "So? What's stupid about that? I think that's nice of you."

Marinette turned an even darker shade of red.

"W-Well… Somehow, something was strange yesterday. We talked, and he was so sweet, and then we talked some more. I told him how much his friendship meant to me. How much he meant to me and… I sort of… kissed him?"

_"YOU WHAT?!"_

Marinette burried her head into the pillow and groaned in embarrassement.  
  
Nino tried to calm down Alya and reminded her that they were in a hospital.  
  
"Alya, keep it down, will you?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng...", she said. "You _kissed_ Chat Noir?"

The black haired girl nodded.  
"B-But I thought you were in love with A-...", Alya coughed. "A-another person."

Adrien tried to look anywhere but at Marinette.  
  
Nino chuckled. "I didn't know you had it in you Mari. I didn't even know you liked him."

Marinette re-emerged from her pillow, a shy smile on her face.  
All Adrien could think about was covering her smile with his lips again and – _wait what?_

"S-So how did he react?", Adrien asked.  
  
"I don't really remember.", she admitted, leaning back into her pillows.   
"My medication kicked in and made me very sleepy. And a nurse came to check on me, so he had to go. But I have never been so _embarrassed_ in my entire life."

It was obvious that Alya wanted to ask more questions, but a sudden knock on the door made the teenagers turn.  
"Marinette, may I come in?"

Alya, Adrien and Nino had no time to stop the black haired girl, as she struggled to get out of bed and stumbled toward the elderly man who had entered the room.  
  
He leaned onto his walking stick and had no choice but to let the bouquet of flowers fall to the floor to keep his balance as Marinette charged at him, crying and hugging him as well as she could.

"M-Master Fu! I'm so glad you're okay!", she whined, her tears making it hard for the others to understand her.

Alya and Nino exchanged confused looks, but Adriens heartbeat suddenly increased.  
  
Was it possible that he knew this man? He could also feel Plagg, the little Kwamis magical aura vibrating against his skin.

"Now, now, Marinette. That is my line. I was worried about you! And look what you've done..."  
  
A single glance at Marinettes bandages confirmed that she must have popped her stitches, as little spots of blood formed on the white cotton.

"Oh no! Marinette, back to bed."  
  
Nino pressed the button for a nurse and Alya led Marinette back to her bed, who was still shedding tears for the stranger who had entered the room.

Adrien stood up and grabbed the bouquet of flowers.  
  
"You must be the man that Marinette wanted to protect?", he asked.  
  
The old man nodded. "That is correct. And now I have upset her with my visit. I'm sorry, my darling girl."

"N-Not at all!", Marinette stuttered, trying to wipe her tears away. "I'm just so glad you're okay."  
  
The nurse came back, immediately turned at the sight of blood and fetched a doctor so Marinette could be stitched up again.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask the male audience to leave us now.", Sabine said, as the nurse removed Marinettes bandages.   
She and Tom had come back into the room as soon as the nurse had been called.

Adrien, Nino, Tom and the old man nodded in understanding as the doctor had to remove Marinettes shirt to work on her stitches properly.  
  
Nino and Tom decided to wait outside, but Adrien was curious about the strange man who apparently meant a lot to Marinette.

"I do think we could all use something to drink.", he suddenly said. "I will go and grab some refreshments from the cafeteria. Would you be so kind as to help me with carrying, young man?"  
  
Adrien only nodded and followed the old man to the elevator.   
The doors opened and the two of them entered, the old man pressing the button for the ground floor where the cafeteria was.

"I did not think I would have the opportunity to talk to you so soon.", he said. "There are a lot of things we need to discuss, Chat Noir."

As soon as the doors closed, the man turned to him and offered him a smile. Adriens eyes widened in horror.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as the elevator door was closed, Adrien was ready to transform.

He had almost called the words, when suddenly, the elderly man did something that absolutely confused him.

He pulled out a small piece of camembert from one of his pockets.

Plagg, unable to resist, shot out of his hiding place.

„MASTER FU! You've brought me camembert!", the little Kwami shouted, gobbling the piece of cheese down in one gulp.

From the corner of his eyes, Adrien saw a small green Kwami, sighing in disappointment.

„Plagg...", he said. „Don't you ever change?"

The cat Kwami shook it's head. „Master Fu is the one who got me hooked on the stuff!"

The green Kwami, (was it a turtle?), continued. „Yes, but before that it was salami, a century before that it was sushi, and a century before that it was..."

„I think we get the idea, you two.", the man, who Marinette and Plagg had both called Master Fu, interrupted them. 

„We are confusing poor Adrien. He must have thousands of questions."

"Y-You...How...W-Why...Who..."

The turtle Kwami sighed again.

"He is not as articulate as Ladybug, that's for sure."

"You know _Ladybug_?", Adrien finally asked, ignoring his Kwamis attempts to steal more cheese from the Masters pockets.

"Yes, I do", the man answered.

"Which is why I have been looking for you, Adrien. But perhaps we should talk a bit later. The elevator is about to open."

The man handed him a business card with an address – a massage place – and both the Kwamis got back to their hiding places before the elevator opened.

* * *

It turned out that Marinette was too exhausted from being stitched up again (and from the pain medication) to receive her visitors again, so everyone except her parents were dismissed from the hospital.

Master Fu had, as far as Adrien was concerned, vanished into thin air after delivering drinks to everyone, but he was not about to let this clue about Ladybug get away.   
He pulled out the business card the old man had given him and started walking.

"So, Plagg, you know this man?", he whispered. He always had to be careful while talking with his Kwami in public.

Paris was a busy city after all – and talking to oneself was a sign of being coo-coo.

"Master Fu is the last member of the Order of the Guardians", the Kwami explained, suddenly very earnest.

"He is responsible for guarding the Miraculous and distributing them. You got your ring from him."

All of a sudden, Adrien remembered his first day of school. That was where he had seen the man before!

"So, he's not an enemy?"

"Definitely not. I wonder what he wants though, normally he is very secretive."

Adrien crossed a street and entered a residential area of Paris.

"What about his Kwami? He didn't seem to like you very much."

Plagg just laughed.   
"You mean Waizz? He is Master Fus Kwami. Strong protective magic. I suggest that's why only Marinette and nobody else got hurt at the shooting – because he was there."

The conversation was over fast as Adrien suddenly found himself at the old mans door and was bid inside by a voice before he could knock.

"Hello Chat Noir. I'm glad you accepted my invitation."  
  


Adrien was still cautious, making no attempt to sit down. 

"I didn't have the feeling that I had a choice", he said.

Master Fu only smiled.   
"Being cautious is something that previous Chat Noirs have neglected a bit, so it is most welcome in you."

He took a sip of his tea, while the little turtle Kwami poured a cup for Adrien.

"My name is Waizz.", he introduced himself.   
"I'm pretty sure Plagg has called me lots of colourful names already?"

Plagg had indeed, on the way up the stairs, dished a bit about Waizz – but not in a bad way.  
  


Adrien finally decided to sit down opposite the old man, but got straight to the point.

"You are the one who gave me my Miraculous, right?"

Master Fu nodded.

"Ladybug did not remember as fast as you did. But I'm afraid we have to skip the history lesson, at least for now. I am concerned about Marinette."  
  


"That's another thing...", Adrien interrupted. "How do you know my classmate?"

The old man opened his mouth, but he received a stern stare from his Kwami.

"I'm afraid you have to ask her that. I promised Marinette to keep the secret of how we met – she is a very private person."

Adrien thought about it and after a while could only agree.   
Whenever he was around, she was a bit shy, stuttered but was still sweet. If she had a secret, he had to honour it.

"But I'm sure she will tell Chat Noir if he asks."

"Why am I here?", Adrien wanted to know.  
  


Master Fu sighed and put his teacup down.   
  
"What happened to Marinette was a terrible thing. I am the guardian of the Miraculous, so my part in this world is to protect the people from Akuma attacks – but a gun is not in my repertoire."

Waizz sat down on the table next to his masters teacup, sad.

"I should have been able to protect her my with magic, but I failed.."

"The thing is, Adrien, bad things happen in this world. The woman who shot Marinette was mentally ill and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time."  
  


Adriens knuckles turned white as he imagined how scared everyone must have been.  
  


"I am about ninety percent sure that this attack was random- but I can't be sure onehundred percent."  
  


"What do you mean, Master?", Plagg asked and gulped down a cookie.  
  


"I mean, that the attack could have been a hit on me- or Marinette for that matter, as we are friends. It is a possibility, but a weak one."

"W-What?! You think it could have been intentional?"

Master Fu nodded.  
  
"I have already asked Ladybug to investigate in the matter, so don't be alarmed if you don't hear from her for a while. What I would like for you to do, as Chat Noir, is keep an eye on Marinette during her healing process. I am almost sure it was an accident, but if not, she could still be in danger."  
  


* * *

Marinette was nudged awake by Tikki in the middle of the night.

"Chat Noir is on the roof", she mumbled and then hid under the covers.

  
Only a minute later, the black cat himself opened her window and slid in – his body just a shadow in the night.

"You're not as sneaky as you think you are, kitty.", Marinette mumbled, but was sure that she would have not detected her Chaton without Tikki.

Chat Noir stopped in his movement.

"Princess, what are you doing up? You should be sleeping."

Marinette tried to sit up but had some difficulty.   
Chat Noir rushed over and helped her sit straight, only realising the close proximity when he was finished. He coughed, backed away and sat down on a chair.  
  


"I have been sleeping all day, I'm wide awake...", she sighed, trying to hide a blush. She was not ready for this confrontation – _at all._

"I heard you ripped your stitches today.", Chat Noir said, with a stern expression on his face.  
  


Marinette blinked, astonished. "How'd you hear that?"

"Master Fu told me. I was surprised that you know him, he's … let's say a special man. But he didn't want to tell me how you know him."  
  


Marinette almost sighed with relief. Her secret of being Ladybug was safe.  
  
A while ago, she and Master Fu had devised a simple but foolprof story of how they had met, and now it was time to tell the lie and not rise any suspicion.  
  


"I haven't known him for long, maybe seven or eight months?", she said. "I found an add on the internet, that's how we met."

Chat Noir looked surprised.

"Y-You're looking for men… on the internet?" His skin had turned white as a sheet.  
  


Marinette didn't realise what he meant at first, but turned red as a cherry seconds later.  
  


"Wha- no! Not like that, _oh my god!"_

Chat Noir could feel Plagg giggling, which sent ripples through his superhero suit.

"I want to go to a top school for design someday.", Marinette continued, "and I thought that voluntary work would look very good in my resumee. There is an agency on the internet that brings people together. Master Fu is not the youngest anymore, as I think you know, and he lives close by. I contacted him and I've since helped him with some everyday chores, I helped him with his massage parlour –_ again, not in the way you think!_ \- and over the last seven months, he's become a cherished friend."

On the inside, Adrien sighed with relief.   
Also, doing voluntary work for elderly people, even if it was for credits and her resume, was very much like Marinette.

"We were out having coffee when this happened… Just two friends enjoying the day...", she said.

An awkward silence fell upon the two, both of them suddenly remembering their last encounter.

Marinette hastily tried to change the topic.

"The doctors are releasing me tomorrow."

"Already?", Chat Noir wondered. "You've been shot just three days ago!"

The young girl shrugged, which she regretted moments after and whinced.

"There's not much they can do here, and I'm bored out of my mind. I'll have to stay home for another few days before I can get back to school. But it was a clean shot, through and through, so it's up to my body to heal itself."

Chat Noir crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I don't like this. Knowing you, you will overexert yourself and overdo it."

"I will not!"

"Yes you will..."

Marinette sighed.

"I need to get out of here", she said. "I don't have time to lie around in a hospital."  
  


"Well, if you're being released, let me tell you this. Master Fu asked me to have an eye on you, princess. And I will do that."

Before he knew what came over him, Chat Noir leaned forward and put a chaste kiss onto Marinettes lips, before backing away.  
  


"A good night kiss for my princess.", he said. "I'll come to your house tomorrow. And don't bother locking the windows, I'll find my way in.

* * *


End file.
